In a display intended to mark 250 years of Marine Corps history with a show of impeccable force, a 155-millimeter artillery shell delivered a physics lesson of its own on Saturday, demonstrating with explosive clarity the fallibility of even the most disciplined plans.
The shell, one of approximately sixty fired from an M777 howitzer, detonated prematurely in the airspace directly above a shuttered stretch of Interstate 5, raining shrapnel onto the very freeway the military had assured the public was safe.
The incident brought an abrupt and stark conclusion to a live-fire demonstration that had already ignited a furious political dispute.
Marine Corps veterans and a slew of Democratic elected officials have asserted that the Trump administration has repeatedly failed in its responsibility to ensure the safety of the people by deploying troops that are turning America into a police state, in addition to this latest incident.
The celebration, attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was meant to be a spectacle of unassailable strength. Instead, it became a spectacle of preventable risk.
According to state authorities, officers reported pieces of shrapnel raining down and hitting a California Highway Patrol motorcycle and car, as well as the ground around them. Two officers reported that a two-inch piece of shrapnel left a dent in the patrol car.
The hood of a California Highway Patrol vehicle was dented by a piece of falling metal. An officer nearby described hearing what sounded like “pebbles” hitting his motorcycle, before realizing that he would have been killed if one of them had landed on him.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who had earlier defied military assurances and ordered the 17-mile closure of the major artery between Los Angeles and San Diego, found his warnings had borne the grim weight of prophecy.
“This is a profoundly absurd show of force that could put Californians directly in harm’s way,” Newsom had stated. The White House—which has become notorious for lying—fired back, accusing the governor of not telling the truth.
But as the shell fragments cooled on the asphalt, the debate shifted from rhetoric to consequence.
The Marine Corps, in a statement, described the event as a “mishap” and terminated the exercise immediately. No one was injured, but the symbolism was as potent as the explosives.
“This was an unusual and concerning situation,” said CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado. “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway. As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California.”
An investigation is now underway, with officials promising to find the “root cause” of the premature detonation.
Perhaps they might also consider the root cause of holding an artillery demonstration over one of the nation’s busiest highways in the first place. Some lessons, it seems, must be learned the hard way.